PROVING THEMSELVES: Within 30 minutes of the National Women’s Soccer League announcing its Best XI and then 11 more picks for its all-league second team on Wednesday, one Western New York Flash player offered this tweet: “LOL.” To me, it was as profound as it was succinct. Three little letters that matched the number of Flash players honored among the NWSL’s best 22. Laughable – exactly. How in the world does Carli Lloyd NOT make the top 22? Only Abby Wambach and defender Brittany Taylor (first team) and goalie Adrianna Franch (second) were honored, while FC Kansas City had seven players honored (four first-teamers). Yes, K.C. was very good and led the league for much of the past month, but the way the picks shook out and its sweep of postseason awards, you’d have thought the Blues won the NWSL going away. They didn’t. In fact, they followed up their 10-match unbeaten streak, a league high (one better than WNY’s), by losing their last two matches to cough up the No. 1 seed and regular-season crown to the Flash, the NWSL’s most consistent club all season and certainly after their 0-2-1 start (without Lloyd). Whether it was a flawed voting system or just simply a lack of regard for the Flash, who were first in goals scored and allowed, we’ll never know. And while its players haven’t really said much publicly about the snub to Lloyd and a few others, such as 19-year-old winger Sam Kerr, who certainly belonged among the best 22, you just know they’ve discussed the disrespect privately. So I pulled Lloyd and Wambach aside briefly and asked them about it after Friday’s final practice before Saturday’s NWSL Championship against No. 3 Portland.

“I think it’s just more fuel,” said Lloyd, whose eight goals (in 15 matches) were tied for fourth. “We know what we’re capable of. But at the end of the day, everybody wants to be holding up that championship cup. That’s all the matters, really.”

Indeed, Abby echoed the same sentiment, saying she knows every K.C. award-winner would trade the honor to be playing Saturday. “It’s obviously something that makes us want to prove ourselves even more,” said Wambach, who posted team highs in goals (11) and assists (8) and was runner-up for league MVP to Lauren Holiday, an honor she said the K.C. midfielder absolutely deserved (I agree).

Portland has its own disrespect card to play, too, because although the Thorns finished tied with WNY and KC at 38 points – the Flash won the crown based on tiebreakers (it also went 1-0-1 vs. KC, by the way), Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair and Rachel Buehler only made the NWSL second team. The Thorns had no first-teamers, the only team without one. So who wins tonight? Here are five things to watch:

1. HOW HEALTHY ARE MORGAN AND HEATH? Morgan practiced Thursday and Friday; midfielder Tobin Heath (foot) did not – at least as far as we know. Media was asked to clear Sahlen’s Stadium after the first 15 minutes of the Thorns practice each day. Heath declined to discuss any specifics of her foot after Friday’s session, but it looks as if she hasn’t trained all week. How in the world can she start if that’s the case? Well, she’s a world-class player, so we’ll see. Coach Cindy Parlow Cone, in full gamesmanship mode, said each will play “significant roles” tonight. Certainly, though, neither Heath nor Morgan (knee) are 100%. In fact, I don’t think Morgan will start. Portland has played some good soccer without her the past three matches and she’d be a great weapon off the bench, a role she’s familiar with from her 2011 season with WNY and the U.S. national team. If Morgan was only available for about 15 minutes in last week’s semifinal, I just can’t see how she can give much more than 45-60 minutes tonight.

2. LLOYD’S PRESENCE A DIFFERENCE-MAKER: Everyone is disregarding the Aug. 10 tie, 0-0, between these teams in Rochester because both clubs had dead legs as they ended a busy stretch of matches and Portland was playing its first full match without Morgan, who’d been injured three days before in a 2-1 loss at Boston. The July 21 matchup in Portland was much different. It was back and forth, full of action and goalies Franch (nine saves) and Karina LeBlanc (seven) were terrific. But the Flash midfielders Adriana Martin (national team duty) and Lloyd (friend’s wedding) were each unavailable that day and the Flash had lost 2-1 at Seattle just 72 hours earlier. They still played the Thorns to a 1-1 draw and if Wambach had cashed in a late PK, the Flash would have won. All of that had coach Aaran Lines feeling pretty upbeat about the effort on the road. Lloyd’s confidence is sky high right now. Look for her to tilt the title match in the Flash’s favor.

3. WHICH PORTLAND DEFENSE SHOWS UP? The Thorns finished tied for third in the league in goals allowed (25), right behind WNY and KC, but they had a four-game stretch late in the season, right before the 0-0 result on Aug. 10 in Rochester, when they allowed nine goals in four matches. They seemed to have straightened that out, but then in the first 25 minutes of the semifinals were giving KC acres of space to operate and that’s how they feel behind. They solved that later, in part, by making their attack their best defense and keeping the ball away from KC. But if Portland comes out slow again tonight, the Flash could shred them and put LeBlanc under heavy pressure.

4. AERIAL GAME SHOULD BE KEY: Look, up in the air, it’s a bird, it’s a plane – no – it’s Wambach. Look for the Flash to do exactly what they did last week in a 2-0 semifinal win over Sky Blue FC. Get the ball wide and send in crosses looking for the best target player in the world. Here’s the difference: Portland doesn’t have as much size in the back as Sky Blue, so Wambach might be able to dominate and if she’s first to all those floaters, watch out. Buehler and rookie center back, Kat Williamson, along with Allie Long, will have to be strong. It doesn’t mean she’ll score, but those second balls loose in the box will create havoc and might turn Adriana or Kerr or Lloyd or Taylor into a hero.

5. HANDLING THAT BIG-GAME PRESSURE: There are veterans on both sides, but the Flash have more players who have played in a final. Start with Wambach and Lloyd, who each said having that experience just makes a player feel more comfortable in the moment, not afraid. In fact, Abby said it last week and repeated it on Friday: The team whose players are fearless and unafraid to take chances will win. Mix in all those returnees from last year’s Flash squad, such as captain McCall Zerboni (who I think won’t start against, as rookie Amy Barczuk gets the nod due to Zerboni’s injury), Adriana, Angela Salem and Katherine Reynolds, and they have more big-game experience on which to draw.

Did you know? WNY is going for a fourth straight title in a fourth different league. It won the W-League (2010), WPS (2011) and WPSL Elite (2012).

At stake: If WNY wins, it hosts No. 2 Kansas City or No. 3 Portland in the Aug. 31 title match. KC vs. Portland is at 2 p.m. Saturday.

PREVIEW: In January when Abby Wambach was allocated to the Western New York Flash by the United States Soccer Federation, she said was excited to be in Rochester again on a more regular basis and hoped to give the fans in her hometown something to see this summer. So far, so good. But U.S. national team star had a message for her Flash teammates this week. “We haven’t won anything yet,” Wambach said. “Regular-season champs, that’s awesome, but that’s not why I got into this league. I got into this league to win a championship and bring home the real hardware.” The quest for that starts in Saturday’s 8 p.m. National Women’s Soccer League semifinals, as top-seeded WNY (10-4-8) plays No. 4 Sky Blue FC (10-6-6), the team from New Jersey that it has beaten in three of four matches, including a pair of dominating 3-0 victories. SBFC started 7-1 and led the NWSL much of the first half of the season, but it comes in reeling from injuries and results. Coach Jim Gabarra’s squad is just 1-3-3 since mid-July. “It’s more about what we didn’t do. I think it’s all been about us,” Gabarra said about previous failings against the Flash. “I told (my players) even after those results, poor performances, it’s not like you’re walking off the field and going, ‘Oh my God, we have to do something completely different to try to beat this team.’ We just didn’t come out with the proper energy and proper focus.”

Abby Wambach, right, and Carli Lloyd celebrate one of the 19 goals they've combined to score this season out of the Flash's 36. Wambach also has 8 assists.

Gabarra was the coach for the Washington Freedom in 2003 when they won the WUSA title with a young, high-scoring forward named Wambach on the Mia Hamm-led team. If the Flash win on Saturday, they’ll host No. 3 FC Kansas City or No. 3 Portland in next Saturday’s final. Season-ending injuries to backs Kelley O’Hara and Caitlin Foord, along with other knocks to former Flash midfielder Brittany Bock, forward Lisa DeVanna and midfielder Sophie Schmidt, played a big role in SBFC’s downward spiral. That put pressure to perform and lead on veteran center back Christie Rampone, captain of the U.S. national team, and goalies Jill Loyden and Brittany Cameron, another former WNY player. “It’s going to be very important just for the confidence for our team,” Rampone said of a strong start Saturday. The Flash bring swagger, but not arrogance, into Saturday. They have enough veterans to know that this isn’t a best-of series. It’s 90 minutes and in soccer anything can happen. They also have the NWSL’s best and most stable defense, anchored by center backs Brittany Taylor and Estelle Johnson and rookie goalie, Adrianna Franch. WNY is 8-1-2 at home, the lone loss coming in the home opener to Boston, and went 4-0-3 down the stretch with four shutouts. One of those was a 3-0 win on July 21 over SBFC, as Carli Lloyd’s 13th-minute goal seized control early before strikes from Taylor (35th) and Samantha Kerr (56th). The Flash’s top attackers have torched SBFC in out-scoring it 8-2 this season. Kerr and Wambach each have two goals and two assists and Lloyd has two goals. “We made some poor decisions and made some (defensive) mistakes and they’re going to punish you for that,” Gabarra said.

The Flash have jumped on top early in each win over SBFC, as goals from Adriana Martin (sixth minute), Kerr (fourth) and Lloyd (13th) set the tone. Rampone’s poor trap in a 2-1 loss in Rochester on May 1 led directly to Wambach’s 20th-minute goal that made it 2-0. In the 3-0 win on June 8 in New Jersey, another poor trap by a defender just before halftime put the ball on Lloyd’s foot in the box. She hammered it home for a 2-0 cushion. If SBFC makes it to halftime Saturday without giving up a goal, it may feel like a win. “We put ourselves in a position and forced our opponent into making mistakes and we were able to capitalize,” Lines said, debunking Gabarra’s notion that SBFC’s errors were unforced. Even after losing 1-0 in Jersey in their season opener, the Flash came away feeling decent about their debut on April 14. Why? SBFC’s goal was a Flash own-goal off a corner kick. Lloyd also didn’t play, and if Adriana converted a 15th-minute penalty kick or Wambach cashed in on an open look from 14 yards in stoppage-time, the type of chance the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year converts 90 percent of the time, the result is probably different. After that miss, Wambach sent out this post-game tweet: “A sincere apology to all the @WNYFlash fans, players and staff. I take responsibility for not doing my job tonight. It won’t happen again.”

She wasn’t kidding. All Wambach did in the next 17 games was score 11 goals and record 8 assists, both team highs. She was named Flash MVP this week and is a contender for the same honor in the league. It’ll likely go to her or FC Kansas City midfielder Lauren Holiday, who had 12 goals and nine assists. Not that individual awards matter, Wambach said. She called those “feel-good” honors that you celebrate when the season’s over. “For me, the real award is the championship that you get to lift at the end of the season,” the 31-year-old said. “There’s no greater motivation than to be able to host a final in your backyard.”

SATURDAY ON KICK THIS! It’s all-NWSL, all the time. We have several guests scheduled for our radio show, including Boston Breakers player-coach Cat Whitehill, who’ll help us break down the semifinal matchups, Sky Blue coach Jim Gabarra, defender Christie Rampone and GK Brittany Cameron. From the Flash we have coach Aaran Lines, midfielder and team captain McCall Zerboni and Lloyd. Tune in at 11 a.m. ET, listen live at www.whtk.com, AM 1280 locally or on the iHeartRadio app.

Top-seeded Western New York (10-4-8) has won three of four matchups with No 4 Sky Blue FC (10-6-6). They square off in Saturday’s 8 p.m. NWSL semifinals at Sahlen’s Stadium. Here’s a look at the games they’ve played so far:

Sky Blue rides own-goal to 1-0 win (April 14 in NJ): In the season opener for both teams, the Flash failed to cash in on an early penalty kick and it proved costly. Adriana Martin’s 15th-minute shot was deflected wide by former Flash goalie Brittany Cameron, who would go on to post five shutouts in the first eight games as she replaced injured Jill Loyden. SBFC scored off an own-goal in the 42nd minute that deflected off Flash captain McCall Zerboni on a shot off a corner kick. WNY nearly stole a point late on a swift counter attack in the 94th minute, but with Cameron out of position Abby Wambach’s open shot was off target.

Flash grab first win, 2-1 (May 1 in Rochester): Facing an 0-2-1 start to the season, WNY earns its first victory behind goals from Adriana and Abby Wambach, both off defensive miscues. Samantha Kerr set up both. In fact, she tortured fellow Aussie and teenager, Caitlin Foord, all evening. In the sixth minute, Kerr turned the corner and slid a pass to the near post, where an unmarked Adriana slotted it in. In the 20th minute, Kerr floated a pass into the box and the usually sure-footed Christine Rampone botched the trap. The ball bounced perfectly to Wambach and she converted, giving the Flash a healthy cushion that held up.

Flash dominate in 3-0 masterpiece (June 8 in NJ): In what may have been the most complete effort by WNY all season, certainly on the road, Kerr (fourth minute), Lloyd (45th) and Wambach (82nd) scored and rookie goalkeeper Adrianna Franch made five saves to finally be rewarded with the first shutout of her pro career. Wambach’s unselfish pass in front to Kerr set up the 19-year-old; Lloyd cashed in on another SBFC trap that went awry and the third goal was a great build up, as midfielder Angela Salem forced a turnover, passed to Lloyd and she found Kerr streaking up the right flank. Kerr waited for Wambach to dart down the center of the box and Wambach scored from about 10 yards on a sliding boot in between two defenders.

Flash do it Sky Blue again, win 3-0 (July 21 in Rochester): Already without injured Kelley O’Hara (ankle), the visitors lose Lisa DeVanna (19th minute) and Foord (31st) in the opening half and never recovered, trailing 2-0 at intermission on goals from Lloyd (35th) and Brittany Taylor (35th). Kerr finished it off, converting in the 56th minute and Wambach contributed a pair of assists.

After he was asked what he’d like to see Saturday night that he didn’t witness in Western New York’s first two matches, Flash coach Aaran Lines smirked. “Better results,” he said. The Flash have played better than their 0-1-1 record. In fact, with a couple breaks they could be 2-0. While much of the buzz over Saturday night’s home opener has been about the absence of star forward Abby Wambach, WNY’s defense — not its attack — will be the key against the Boston Breakers (0-0-1). Wambach, the Pittsford native and U.S. national team star who was expected to make her home debut, has been forced to the sidelines while following the National Women’s Soccer League’s protocol while recovering from a possible head injury. She was struck in the face with a ball in last Saturday’s 1-1 tie at Washington. It’s not like WNY’s attack was producing goals with Wambach. While it generated enough chances, it converted only once in the first two matches. Defensively, though, the Flash have been solid, allowing just an own-goal and penalty kick.

“As long as we do everything together and stay organized,” defender Brittany Taylor said, “I think we’ll have a very good game.”

Taylor and fellow center back Estelle Johnson along with outside backs Alexandra Sahlen and Katherine Reynolds have played all 180 minutes in front of rookie goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who also has looked strong. They’ll need to be sharp against a Breakers attack that features speedy Sydney Leroux, the blossoming U.S. national team forward, and Kyah Simon of the Australian national team. Leroux’s stoppage-time goal salvaged a 1-1 tie against Washington on April 14. The Breakers’ match last weekend at Kansas City was postponed following the Boston Marathon bombings. “We’ll see how their rhythm is,” Lines said, alluding to the layoff. The Breakers also look to U.S. national team veteran midfielder Heather O’Reilly to create. They generated only seven shots in their first match, but Leroux is a game-changer. If she slips behind the defense, she and the aggressive Franch going one-on-one will be fun. The 22-year-old former UCLA star has already scored 14 goals in her 27 games for the U.S. Simon led Boston’s WPSL Elite team last year with 12 goals, one behind league leader Adriana Martin-Santamaria of the Flash. “They’ve got some pace and danger … but the back line has done a good job so far,” Lines said.

The front line will likely see the addition of Laura Heyboer in Wambach’s spot. The 23-year-old played for WNY last year in the WPSL Elite as a rookie out of Michigan State, where she set the school scoring record. She was taken in the NWSL Supplemental Draft by Seattle but didn’t sign. Like Wambach, Heyboer isn’t afraid to mix it up. With so many ties in the league, a win would put the Flash in the mix for first place. “It’s a work-in-progress,” Lines said of his group, “and it starts now with four home games in a row.”

SATURDAY ON KICK THIS: Flash defender Alexandra Sahlen and Boston midfielder Heather O’Reilly will be our guests on Kick This! on Saturday at 11 a.m. on WHTK-AM (1280). You can listen live on whtk.com or anywhere in the world on the iHeartRadio app.

Jeff DiVeronica has covered professional soccer and the Rhinos for the Democrat and Chronicle since the team's inception in 1996. "Devo's Direct Kicks" takes aim mostly at Rochester soccer, but will also highlight the USL, MLS and U.S. national team play. Devo, his nickname since college at St. John Fisher, also hosts two weekly radio shows each Saturday on WHTK-AM/FM (1280/107.3 or www.whtk.com). "Kick This!" (11 a.m.) features soccer talk, while the Canandaigua National Bank High School Sports Show (noon) covers Section V sports. E-mail Jeff at jdiveron@DemocratandChronicle.com.
Or follow him on Twitter: @RocDevo